斯诺登的父亲感谢普京

 

　　Speaking to the state-owned Rossiya 24 channel in footage broadcast Wednesday, Lon Snowden of Allentown, Pennsylvania, thanked the Kremlin for the "courage" shown in keeping his son safe.

　　Addressing his son, Lon Snowden said that "your family is well and we love you." He added that "I hope to see you soon, but most of all I want you to be safe."

　　The younger Snowden has been stuck in the transit¹ zone of Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport since arriving from Hong Kong on June 23. Russia is considering his request for temporary asylum², which he submitted on July 16.

　　Putin has warned that Snowden could be granted asylum on condition he agrees not to hurt US interests _ implying that the American would have to stop leaking material on Washington's spying efforts.

　　Snowden's Russian lawyer, Anatoly Kucherena, has said the fugitive³ told him he could meet that demand.

　　The Guardian⁴ newspaper on Wednesday published a new report on US intelligence-gathering based on information from Snowden, but Kucherena said the material was provided before Snowden promised to stop leaking.

　　"He warned me that he had already sent to the press an array of revealing information and secret documents and, unfortunately, could not stop its publication," Kucherena was quoted as saying by the Interfax news agency.

　　Snowden, who revealed details of a US intelligence program to monitor Internet activity, has received offers of asylum from Venezuela, Nicaragua and Bolivia. However, the logistics of reaching any of those countries are complicated because his US passport has been revoked⁵.

　　Snowden would need the country he wants to reach to issue him travel documents and he would have to find a way to get there. The only direct commercial flight to the region, one that goes to Havana, Cuba, flies over Europe and the US, which could cause complications. Some European countries refused to allow Bolivian President Evo Morales to fly through their airspace on his way home from Moscow earlier this month due to suspicions Snowden was on his plane.

　　The elder Snowden said that, considering those issues, his son's best option may be to stay in Russia.

　　"If it were me, I would stay in Russia and that's what I hope my son will do," he said, adding that he hopes to be able to visit him in Moscow.

　　In Washington, State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf told reporters that she had not seen the interview of the elder Snowden and would not comment on it.

　　"I would say what we've said repeatedly, that we are working through law enforcement channels with the Russian government to make the point that Mr. Snowden is wanted on serious felony charges and needs to be returned to the United States," she said.

　　Kucherena told the Vesti-FM radio station on Wednesday that he is arranging for Snowden's father to visit Russia. Kucherena said that he would send Lon Snowden a letter of invitation to Russia later on Wednesday.

　　Kucherena said Snowden asked him to get in touch with his father because "he needs moral support."

　　The elder Snowden told Russian television that he feels proud of his son.

　　"My son is a principled young man, he is a man of courage and what he saw he couldn't live with," he said. "I know that I have raised him to do the right thing. Sometimes the right thing means personal sacrifice, and that's what he did."

1 transit   

n.经过，运输；vt.穿越，旋转；vi.越过

参考例句：

• His luggage was lost in transit.他的行李在运送中丢失。
• The canal can transit a total of 50 ships daily.这条运河每天能通过50条船。

2 asylum   

n.避难所，庇护所，避难

参考例句：

• The people ask for political asylum.人们请求政治避难。
• Having sought asylum in the West for many years,they were eventually granted it.他们最终获得了在西方寻求多年的避难权。

3 fugitive   

adj.逃亡的，易逝的；n.逃犯，逃亡者

参考例句：

• The police were able to deduce where the fugitive was hiding.警方成功地推断出那逃亡者躲藏的地方。
• The fugitive is believed to be headed for the border.逃犯被认为在向国境线逃窜。

4 guardian   

n.监护人；守卫者，保护者

参考例句：

• The form must be signed by the child's parents or guardian. 这张表格须由孩子的家长或监护人签字。
• The press is a guardian of the public weal. 报刊是公共福利的卫护者。

5 revoked   

adj.[法]取消的v.撤销，取消，废除( revoke的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• It may be revoked if the check is later dishonoured. 以后如支票被拒绝支付，结算可以撤销。 来自辞典例句
• A will is revoked expressly. 遗嘱可以通过明示推翻。 来自辞典例句